Our Lands
The ancestral lands of the Catawba Nation extend through the Piedmont region of North and South Carolina and into southern Virginia. We have lived on these lands along the Catawba River for thousands of years.
The warpaths created over the years intersected within the Catawba lands. Once settlers arrived, these paths became trade routes with the Catawba lands along The Great Trading Path. The Catawba Nation became an essential stop on the route from Jamestown to Charlestown (now Charleston). The Catawba became skilled traders which allowed them to acquire weapons, tools, blankets, and cloth in exchange for furs and other wares like Catawba pottery. Catawba bowls and pots became a sought-after commodity for the settlers due to their quality.
The number of settlers continued to grow, and the Catawba lands were reduced dramatically from the 144,000 acres granted to us by the King of England to the 700-acre reservation now held in trust for the Nation. We still live on our beautiful ancestral lands along the banks of the Catawba river today.
Due to growth and development in our area, we are now close to the thriving city of Rock Hill which is a suburb to the Charlotte metropolitan area. The Nation is a short 30-mile drive from Charlotte Douglas Airport as well as only a 10-minute drive from the I-77 corridor. This provides the Nation with a prime location for growth and development.
Our People
Early counts of the Catawba people made by Spanish explorers estimated the population of the tribe at the time as between 15,000-25,000. After settlers arrived in the area, two rounds of smallpox decimated the tribe’s numbers, and by the early 1800’s, our once large group was down to under 100 citizens.
The Catawba people have endured many changes throughout the years and learned to adapt and evolve with their new surroundings. Traditionally, Catawba communities were matriarchal societies. Catawba women were seen as dominant centers of their communities. Sally New River, the granddaughter of King Hagler, was a landowner that leased land to the Scotch-Irish settlers that were moving into the area. This was unheard of during this period.
The Catawba have learned to survive through the changes around them while also continuing to preserve the most essential parts of our culture. Today, the Catawba citizenship is diverse. We have over 3000 enrolled tribal citizens and continue to grow. We live throughout the United States and have citizens outside of the country, though the majority live on or near our reservation lands.
Our citizens come from many backgrounds and have an array of skills to enhance the labor force. The Catawba still recognize the reservation as their homelands and feel connected to the ancestors that preserved our Nation by living there and passing the land down from generation to generation.
